"For the first time in their lives, they believed they had done something purely out of love."

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - starring Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman are the only two known actors in this film. It is a film adaptation of a novel of the same name.

A boy is born with an extraordinary gift. The ability to discern with his nose every scent. He has the ability to break down the composition of every scent. But his life is marked by death. His mother is killed moments after his birth and he is sent to an orphanage. Even as a baby he is an odd duck, eliciting homicidal tendencies in those around him. He eventually goes to work for a tanner, who subsequently dies. He then insinuates himself into a perfume shop - where he wants to work as an apprentice making scents. His one wish is to learn how to capture the scent of a person. He is told by the perfume owner that this secret can be taught. Once he learns all he can from the man, he begins his search on how to create a scent of pure beauty. He then begins to murder beautiful women in order to capture their essence.

This movie is at times beautiful but does fall short. It is a mere shadow in comparison to the book. The actors try as does the film maker to capture the feel of the novel that is shrouded in scent. But the leap to the screen leaves much behind. If you are a fan of the book, you may enjoy the attempt. If you haven't read the book, the movie can be a bit much to stomach. I would suggest catching it on tv. I will say that Alan Rickman does an excellent job. As does our anti-hero, but playing a creepy man is not that much of a stretch for some men...